Ov Hell is a Norwegian

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

supergroup started by

Shagrath Stian Tomt Thoresen (born 18 November 1976),Shagrath
at Encyclopaedia Metallum known professiona ...

and King ov Hell in 2009. The band's debut album, '' The Underworld Regime'', was released in February 2010 by

Indie Recordings Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies * Indie game, any game (boa ...

History

Background

Ov Hell was formed by King ov Hell and Shagrath following the temporary dissolution of

God Seed God Seed was a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen, Norway. Former Gorgoroth members Gaahl and King ov Hell adopted the name in March 2009 following the ending of the Gorgoroth name dispute. After performing a few gigs as God Seed, vocalis ...

in July 2009, which was formed by King and Gaahl in March that year, following the conclusion of the

Gorgoroth name dispute The Gorgoroth name dispute refers to a legal dispute between musicians from Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth over who had ownership of the band's name, which was derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The parties to the dispute were band ...

which had started in October 2007. God Seed performed at the two festivals

Hellfest Summer Open Air Hellfest (), also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one ...

and

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz. Lineups 2010 2–4 July ...

in summer 2009, covering songs from the

Gorgoroth Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is also the only original member remaining, and the band have since released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have ...

albums ''

Twilight of the Idols ''Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer'' (german: link=no, Götzen-Dämmerung, oder, Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophiert) is a book by Friedrich Nietzsche, written in 1888, and published in 1889. Genesis ''Twilight of th ...

'' and ''

Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam ''Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam'' is the seventh studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in Europe on 19 June 2006 by Regain Records and in the US on 25 July 2006 by Candlelight Records. This was the only Gorgoroth alb ...

''. During this period of activity Gaahl was expected to write lyrics and record vocals for the band's intended debut album, for which at numerous times he was claimed to have been undertaking. The rest of the album had already been recorded in 2008, with Frost on drums, Teloch and Ice Dale on guitars and King on bass. However, citing lack of enthusiasm Gaahl quit God Seed at the With Full Force festival and ultimately retired from metal music. BLABBERMOUTH.NET - GAAHL On Decision To Retire From Metal: 'For Me, It's Not Heartfelt Anymore'
King then reincorporated the music which was intended for the God Seed debut album into Ov Hell, and Shagrath wrote and recorded the lyrics and vocals. The album, called '' The Underworld Regime'', was released in Europe in February 2010 by

, and in the US in April 2010 by

Prosthetic Records Prosthetic Records is an American record label specializing in heavy metal recordings, founded in Los Angeles, California in 1998 by E.J. Johantgen and Dan Fitzgerald. Prosthetic Records released the first two albums by Lamb of God and Animals ...

Present situation

Ov Hell has never performed live. In November 2009, King said that he expected the band to be able to do tours and festivals in the future, but in May 2010 he revealed that because of both his own and Shagrath's busy schedules, Ov Hell would not be doing any concerts, and that the band would instead just be a studio band.

Band members

;Current members *

Shagrath Stian Tomt Thoresen (born 18 November 1976),Shagrath
at Encyclopaedia Metallum known professiona ...

– vocals (2009–present) * King ov Hell – bass, backing vocals (2009–present) ;Session members *Teloch – guitars (2009) * Frost – drums (2009) * Ice Dale – guitars (2009)

Discography

*'' The Underworld Regime'' (2010)

References

{{Authority control Norwegian black metal musical groups Heavy metal duos Heavy metal supergroups Musical groups established in 2009 2009 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Norway with local place of origin missing